Operating Systems

1. MODULE IN ITE229 - OPERATING SYSTEMS 20
Prepared by: For-Ian V. Sandoval
LESSON 10
APPLICATION PROGRAM INTERFACE (API)
Just as drivers provide a way for applications to make use of
hardware subsystems without having to know every detail of the
hardware's operation, application program interfaces (APIs) let
application programmers use functions of the computer and operating
system without having to directly keep track of all the details in the CPU's
operation. Let's look at the example of creating a hard disk file for holding
data to see why this can be important.
A programmer writing an application to record data from a
scientific instrument might want to allow the scientist to specify the name
of the file created. The operating system might provide an API function
named MakeFile for creating files. When writing the program, the
programmer would insert a line that looks like this:
MakeFile [1, %Name, 2]
In this example, the instruction tells the operating system to create a
file that will allow random access to its data (signified by the 1 -- the other
option might be 0 for a serial file), will have a name typed in by the user
(%Name) and will be a size that varies depending on how much data is
stored in the file (signified by the 2 -- other options might be zero for a
fixed size, and 1 for a file that grows as data is added but does not shrink
when data is removed). Now, let's look at what the operating system does
to turn the instruction into action.
The operating system sends a query to the disk drive to get the
location of the first available free storage location.
With that information, the operating system creates an entry in the
file system showing the beginning and ending locations of the file, the
name of the file, the file type, whether the file has been archived, which
users have permission to look at or modify the file, and the date and time
of the file's creation.
The operating system writes information at the beginning of the file
that identifies the file, sets up the type of access possible and includes
other information that ties the file to the application. In all of this
information, the queries to the disk drive and addresses of the beginning

2. MODULE IN ITE229 - OPERATING SYSTEMS 21
Prepared by: For-Ian V. Sandoval
and ending point of the file are in formats heavily dependent on the
manufacturer and model of the disk drive.
Because the programmer has written the program to use the API for
disk storage, the programmer doesn't have to keep up with the instruction
codes, data types and response codes for every possible hard disk and
tape drive. The operating system, connected to drivers for the various
hardware subsystems, deals with the changing details of the hardware.
The programmer must simply write code for the API and trust the
operating system to do the rest.
APIs have become one of the most hotly contested areas of the
computer industry in recent years. Companies realize that programmers
using their API will ultimately translate this into the ability to control and
profit from a particular part of the industry. This is one of the reasons that
so many companies have been willing to provide applications like readers
or viewers to the public at no charge. They know consumers will request
that programs take advantage of the free readers, and application
companies will be ready to pay royalties to allow their software to provide
the functions requested by the consumers.